Create and Send a Campaign

Campaigns allow organizations to send personalized messages to large groups using dynamic contact lists. They include audience segmentation, scheduling, and follow-up capabilities.

Before You Begin

How to Create a Campaign

Step 1: Create a Campaign

1. Login to the YakChat messaging app 
2. By default, the app will open Chats. Click on the arrow beside Chats. 
3. From the drop down options, choose Campaigns.
4. Select (+) Create a Campaign.
5. Enter a Campaign name.
6. Select the message channel (currently only SMS).
7. Click Next.

Step 2: Select Recipients

1. Choose a contact source.
2. Apply filters as needed.

YakChat displays the number of contacts matching your criteria. Recipient lists are dynamic and automatically update at send time.

Step 3: Compose a Personalized Message

1. Enter your Campaign message.
2. Add personalization fields such as First Name, Last Name, or Phone Number.
3. Review the message preview to verify that personalization is applied correctly.

If a contact is missing a personalization value, the message is sent without that field.

Optional Step: Add Attachments

1. Select Add Attachment.
2. Upload the desired file.
3. Review the message preview.

Messages with attachments are sent as MMS instead of SMS.

Step 4: Send Immediately or Schedule for Later

Send Now: Select Send Now to launch the Campaign immediately.

Schedule for Later:

1. Select Send Later.
2. Choose a date and time.

When scheduled, the audience list refreshes automatically before launch.

Step 5: Set the Campaign Reply Window

The campaign reply window defines how long the system monitors and tracks incoming messages from campaign recipients. Messages received during this period are treated as campaign replies and include a reference to the original campaign message, making the conversation’s context easy to identify. 

Here's how to set it:

1. Type in a number between 1 - 99.
2. Select the unit of time. You can choose either hours or days.
   

Messages received within the reply window are linked to the campaign conversation thread. Messages received outside this window are treated as new inbound messages.

Step 6: Review and Send Your Campaign

1. Review the details of your campaign.
2. When you’re ready, click the Create and Send Campaign button.

Send Follow-Up Messages

Additional messages (e.g., reminders, confirmations) can be sent within the same campaign, while keeping the audience and channel consistent.

How to Send Follow-Up Messages

1. Open the existing Campaign.
2. Select New Message.
3. Compose the follow-up content.
4. Send immediately or schedule delivery.
5. Set the reply window.
6. Review your follow-up message details.
7. When you are ready, click Send Message.

The Campaign audience and channel remain the same. The recipient list refreshes each time a follow-up is sent.